


The End of Danganronpa, Now What?

by addicted_to_lethargy



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Gen, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Post-New Dangan Ronpa V3, The characters are mentioned only
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29888454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addicted_to_lethargy/pseuds/addicted_to_lethargy
Summary: The director and executive producer discuss with the talk show host about the series finale.
Kudos: 11





	The End of Danganronpa, Now What?

"Ah, yes, are we recording? Excellent. I am your host, _______ _______ and you're watching ______ ______!"

An orange and yellow logo crawls across the enormous displays on tall skyscrapers and the multitude of coffee shops in the city. The lights blaze through the mist, illuminating the puddles on potholed roads and crooked sideways. People clamber in the center of the road in this dim gray afternoon, pointing fanatically and piling together to watch the live show.

"We're here with the folks behind the famous, and," he curves his hand to his mouth, away from the two gentlemen sitting on the black upholstery chairs and audibly whispers "rapidly declining in popularity, reality TV show, DANGANRONPA!"

A red backdrop appears, Monokuma logos appear like a checkerboard and the all too familiar introduction slowly fades in, notable characters from previous seasons are zoomed in, and a chain of famous executions are whisked onscreen. The two grimace.

Title cards flash under the gentlemen, DIRECTOR and LEAD EXECUTIVE PRODUCER and then dissipate in a few seconds. They shift uncomfortably, and glance at each other: the DIRECTOR clasps his fidgety hands while the PRODUCER pours himself another glass of water from the small tables in front of them. The checkerboard shifts into a deep ocean blue backdrop, enveloping the individuals. The HOST reclines on a large black office chair behind a deep brown desk.

The HOST wore a white tuxedo, with a red tie, complementing the outfit with his existing black hair. He knew this colour choice bothered them of course, he relished their pale faces as he decisively sipped his water to smother his grin.

He poises his hands into a satiric applause for the flustered men, "I hope you are able to answer a couple of questions, especially for that entire...erm 'debacle' we witnessed last night. I mean, don't get me wrong, the wife and the kids love watching the show after dinner, who doesn't? Er, didn't? But the finale was quite a headscratcher, a real pickle, totally outta the blue if you ask me and the rest of the world."

"First of all, let's try to get the situation at hand here, there seems to be a lot to unpack, let's switch to _____ and see what's going on public right now, _____?"

The screen switches to the newsreporter, her long straight hair slightly swaying in the misty weather. "Yeah, I'm here at a local highschool, teenagers have decided to leave their classrooms, Who wouldn't in these unprecedented times? We see that these students have decided to burn their merchandise in front of the yard as protests to the outrageous display we have seen by the so-called survivors last night. Let's try to see what one of the students have to say."

A girl with tears streaking down her eyes manages to speak at the microphone through her chokes,

"It's all because of Sh-Shuichi, DANGANRONPA is gone. I am burning all of my Shuichi t-shirts, I'm so upset, he w-was my favourite boy, he was such a good boy! Why did he do this?!"

The microphone returns to the newsreporter, "And then there are many other cries like these, but aimed at the other two survivors."

The HOST smirks at this display and then waves passionately at the audience.

"Completely unprecedented indeed. It was the people's enjoyment and entertainment, and now that has been snatched away from our daily toils! I know the original had been taken off the moment it aired but you can find this EVERYWHERE online. How about we actually take a look at the famous scenes with the handsome Ultimate Detective himself?"

[Clip 1]

A pale teenager wears a black suit. His messy blue hair more disheveled than ever. He is glaring at the camera. The audio is a bit muffled, representing its secondary source origins.

"Don't you see? If hope wins, the killing won't stop!"

"It's *because* hope wins that the killing never stops!"

"It's what the people want!"

"They want hope to win, they want the happy ending!"

"That's how the killing game has gone on 53 times!"

"That's why I'm going to reject that hope."

"I'll fight the world that inflicts suffering for entertainment!"

The robot, K1-B0, the voice of the audience reluctantly stares at the horrendous speaker in front of him, "Fight...the outside world?"

[Clip 2]

"It doesn't matter what you do, No matter what a fictional character does or say, it's just fiction to the outside world. Then I'll fight the outside world from within this fiction." The teenager points straight at the camera, unwavering.

A girl in a red school uniform with brown pigtails looks at him, "from within this fiction...But how?"

"I...refuse to vote"

The blue hair girl is at a loss of words, "Refuse to vote...?"

"Monokuma said that if we don't vote, we'll be killed for breaking the rules!"

"Yes, I know. That's why I'm doing it."

"If this ends without a single vote being cast for hope or despair..."

"The audience would hate it. They'd never accept an ending like that..." He looks forward, with a complacent smile directed at the audience.

"So I abstain! I refuse to give the outside world the ending it wants!"

"I won't vote for Keebo! Or Tsumugi! I reject both hope and despair!"

[Clip 3]

Monokuma fidgets in his throne and raises his arms, his claws outstretched,

"Hey! Why aren't you doing anything!?"

"I'm...abandoning this game. I won't play your game anymore, Monokuma" His eyes resolute in this decision.

"Now start the vote."

Both the blue haired girl and Monokuma pleaded the teenager, "I won't let you abandon this game. I definitely won't let you!", "Yeah! I still need you guys to keep playing the game!".

The screen changes back to the three people, the DIRECTOR's nostrils flared but he remained silent.

The HOST begins speaking again, "It's the same exchange again and again, so bland it tastes like cardboard! Because of such a lackluster ending, viewers tuned off DANGANRONPA for the final time."

"Did you really expect the players themselves, the ones who were THE fans to be the "ultimate" demise of the show?"

The PRODUCER wiped the bridge of his nose and set down his cup to free his hands.

"You see this outlook personality change is pretty complicated stuff," he tented his hands and then motioned them around, "to ensure a realistic program, we had to create these people to be as human as possible. It's the autonomy that holds the real juicy stuff. We overlooked a minor detail however, we did not expect this sentience or self-awareness." He retakes the cup and gulps some water.

"So basically you messed up on the brainwashing."

The DIRECTOR inhales a breath, pushes the rim of his round glasses and scratches his head.

The HOST smiles cunningly again, looking at him, "Do you miss the other director, Tsumugi Shirogane? She was quite a fan-favorite for sure."

"Without her, we couldn't scout potential stars properly. However, without her, it wouldn't have been this way. We would have reached a more, different and favourable conclusion. You could also say that this is her fault."

"Ah, was it because of the bathroom? Or because she messed up the code with the Monokuma head at the end?"

"It does not matter to me."

"But aren't you her father? I recall an old interview where she-"

"I don't think we wish to answer any more questions". The DIRECTOR pushed the table, ready to leave.

"Ah, I will stop asking about her. Please, sit down. Well, let's go into that talent thing for a moment. There's a bunch of kids out there who dreamed to be on stage, they practiced and practiced 'til the day they could be on the big screens. What do you say to those children, who felt heartbroken when they saw Shuichi say those words?"

"No comment."

The HOST stages a shocked expression, "No comment?! But they loved your show! You betrayed your viewers, didn't you?" His eyes widened as if they would pop out from his skull. The length of acting he would go through to engage the audience was a quality that brought popularity to this talk show. The PRODUCER sets down his seventh glass as the DIRECTOR looks away from the camera, wiping his brow.

The PRODUCER clenches his fists. He knows exactly what will happen if they march out the studio with these lackluster answers. The public will tear them apart as if this was their own execution, their corpses completely disassembled, their blood seeping down the rain. He had to clear this, right here, right now. His hands gesture emphatically, as if he was on the final trial.

"Please, try to understand. We love DANGANRONPA. We love it as much as our fans do. We are as heartbroken and as dejected like them and even more!

The team, the blackened, the survivors, everyone poured their lives into this show! To see how it failed this way, I can't forgive myself, all those people died for this show. You would expect them to be THAT self-aware to understand the big picture.

Before anymore accusations arise, I would like everyone at home to understand this one thing. We are not affiliated with Shuichi Saihara."

The HOST has a thoughtful gaze, he ends his exaggerated performance, interlocks his fingers, and sits upright on his desk. The DIRECTOR looks agape at the PRODUCER, hanging to his words, looking for that opportunity, that hope.

The PRODUCER who after drinking his eight glass, stands up. The studio is completely silent. He paces around the stage, his hands still moving,

"Because of the unique structure of show, the characters as I said, have the free will to do what they want. If I may, they are as much human in reality than they are as in fiction as he said so himself. If he rejects us, we will reject him. The will of DANGANRONPA always continues. But unfortunately, so will they."

He stares at the camera this time, "I would just like to address the problematic survivors now. Wherever you are, wherever you are hiding. Come out right now. Everybody knows how you look like, you can't get away from us forever."

The HOST smiles, and signals the cameramen to give the ending logo.

**Author's Note:**

> the will of (d)anganronpa..............
> 
> Also, wow? Did I get back into the DR fandom again? Might as well complete my other story before I lose steam...
> 
> (btw, did you know about those theories where the very first time the students recall being kidnapped, they apparently knew their assailants before being captured and were SCARED? 
> 
> and the fact that they didn't recognize rantaro before being brainwashed? that completely changes this world that tsumugi talked about where danganronpa is an internationally famous show, 
> 
> in that theory's perspective, DR seems to be this shadowy conspiracy targetting highschoolers, now thats pretty interesting stuff, I MIGHT think about looking over that type of AU - i said might ok not will)
> 
> thank u 4 reading btw <3


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